Mike Forrester's Blog (122)

I shot this video as horses arrived on the island on June 1, 2010. It's a sight that is occurring regularly right now and will continue through early June.

Nearly all the hotels, B&B's, restaurants and shops are now open with the remaining businesses opening in the next week.

Happy 2013 and welcome to the new season of the Mackinac Island Blog. Hopefully you've stayed up-to-date over the winter with our Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/mackinac) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/mackinacislandblog). If you haven't visited them, please follow or like them as they have more frequent updates both in season and in the off-season.…

With the 17th Annual Mackinac Island Great Turtle Run on Saturday, the Somewhere In Time Weekend and the Close the Grand event, the 2012 season on Mackinac Island effectively comes to a close. Some businesses have already closed, but most are in shutdown mode this week, anticipating one last 'pop' of business during the sold-out race on Saturday.

By nearly all accounts, it was a good season on the island, which saw tourism numbers increase, a few new businesses open and others upgrade…

I have a big update after our visit to the island last week. Every year I take a look at what’s new on the island and this year there is quite a bit to report.

Downtown is seeing lots of changes, most for the better, in my opinion. One thing that can’t be denied is that business owners are spending money making improvements, upgrades or changes to their businesses. After several years of stagnation, it’s nice to see fresh coats of paints and new businesses opening their…

Grand Hotel celebrates 125 years of hosting guests July 10, 2012. While you may have been built in less than 100 days, your builders laid a solid foundation that I hope will last another 125 years! Congratulations!…

Get ready for a full day of activities on Mackinac Island tomorrow. Here's my suggestion for the day (many of which I'm doing):

9:30am - Governor's Summer Residence is open for tours (free)

10:00am - Stone-skipping contest begins at Windermere Point (kids games and family activities)

12Noon -…

June 19th is World Sauntering Day. A day to enjoy a leisurely walk with a joyful disposition. W.T. Rabe of Grand Hotel created the holiday in the 1970's, according to Wikipedia 'to encourage people to slow down and enjoy the world around them.'

Personally, I can't think of a better place to saunter than the porch of Grand Hotel, which celebrates 125 years of hospitality in July. (Photo by Mackinac Island Blog Member Pam Schuch).…

While I normally don't write trip reports, I thought I'd share a few highlights from my visit last weekend. The highlight was hopping a boat for the ride to the Round Island Lighthouse Open House. The Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (www.roundislandlightmichigan.com) did a great job of organizing the event. Freeland Boy Scout Troop 323 played host to the visitors with scouts located throughout the lighthouse…

On July 9th, make a visit to nearby Round Island and enjoy a tour through and to the top of Round Island Lighthouse. Each year, Freeland Boy Scout Troop 323 opens the iconic lighthouse from 10AM to 4PM and provides tours of the lighthouse, including the tower.

Charter boat transportation is provided for $10 round-trip, per person with boats departing from the Arnold Coal Dock (the dock just west of their ferry dock). Closed-toe shoes are recommended and you need to be able to walk on…

After spending several days on Mackinac Island last week, I’m pleased to provide my 2011 list of ‘What’s New on Mackinac’ for your enjoyment. While not exhaustive, it’s a good indicator of what to expect that’s new...or no longer.

Main Street was still relatively quiet compared to summer weekends, but many school groups find their way to the island before the end of the school year. I managed to snap the photo below at a low in group movements, but don't be fooled, they were…

With the creation of the new Convention and Visitors Bureau on Mackinac Island, there's a dedicated source of funding to help promote the island. One of the first things they did was commission a Pure Michigan ad. Just like the other Pure Michigan ads, it features the voice of Tim Allen and the theme from 'Cider House Rules' but this time, it's all about Mackinac!

While I love to visit Mackinac Island, I still have to spend more time away from it than I’d like. To help pass the time until my next visit, I like to read books, watch DVD’s and surf the internet in search of anything related to the island. Fortunately, I’ve found a few treasures that I’ll be sharing with you over the next few months here on the blog.

The first item is a book that while promoted as a ‘behind the scenes’ book, is really more of a photo essay of Arnold Transit ferry…

The streets of Mackinac Island are slowly coming to life as business owners and employees start preparing for another season on Michigan's Crown Jewel. The Grand Hotel opens on Friday (April 22) with other hotels in the days that follow. All three ferry lines are running as they are now required to operate ice-to-ice, so access to the island has never been better, even during the off-season!…

As some of you know, I was lucky enough to win a trip to the top of the Mackinac Bridge in 2010. My wife, Jeanine and I made the trip to the top of the South Tower, 552' above the Straits of Mackinac. It was a most memorable trip. You can find pictures and video highlights here on the…

(UPDATE 3/3/11: The ice bridge has disappeared due to a combination of high winds and warm temperatures in recent weeks. While possible, it's increasingly unlikely it will reform this year.)

Take a ride across the ice bridge. Using a GoPro camera mounted to his helmet, the driver gives you a great view of the trip. You can also view the return with the camera mounted to the windscreen here:…

Liz, from the Quilted Turtle Blog, wrote that the first brave souls went over the ice bridge on Sunday, January 23rd. The weather has changed pretty quickly this month. Greg Main posted the video below from New Year's Day, and it was just last week that Arnold stopped running boats.



It shouldn't be long before the old Christmas Trees have been placed to mark the 'road' between British Landing and…